Remembering Justice HR Khanna On His 105th Birthday

July 3, 2017, marks the 105th birth anniversary of the late Justice HR Khanna.  This is my small tribute to a great son of India.Even after so many years, Justice Khanna's courage and independence continue to inspire and remind generations of lawyers and judges of the sacrifice he made in upholding human rights, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.He was born in 1912, joined the Bar in 1934, was appointed a district and sessions judge in 1952 and was elevated to the Punjab High...

KK Venugopal : A Great Human Being And A Jurist Par Excellence

Today the President of India has cleared the name of  Shri K. K. Venugopal as the new Attorney-General for India. Mr. Venugopal is practicing as Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of India for a long time (about five decades) and is an internationally known jurist who has appeared in many landmark cases in the Supreme Court as well as the different High Courts in the country. He holds the legacy of his great father Mr. M. K. Nambiar who had played a great role in the A. K. Gopalan case and...

‘Can We Not Do Better?’ [Part-III] By R.Basant, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court]

Like a school boy I am waiting for my court to reopen. I took the first available flight after the courts closed on the 9th of May to Calicut  and am waiting for the flight on the 1st of July to take me back to Delhi to be there to welcome the new judicial year at the Supreme Court.Let me confess. This Senior citizen has not done much of updation, research or work during the vacation. The weather in Kerala has been fine and it was great to be with family and friends. But such lazy times  compel...

In A First, Two Women Judges Adorn First Court Of Madras HC

In a first, the First Court of the Madras High Court has been adorned by two women Judges- Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice V. Bhavani Subbaroyan.Justice Indira Banerjee was appointed as the Chief Justice of the High Court in March this year. She is the second woman Judge to head the Court, after Justice Kanta Kumari Bhatnagar (June – November, 1992).Born on 24 September, 1957,...

Too Much Noise? Maharashtra Govt’s Bill Imposes Rs. 2,000 Fine On Honking In Silence Zones

The Maharashtra government, in an affidavit before the Bombay High Court, has stated that the state assembly passed a Bill to enact the Maharashtra Transport and Roads Safety Act on April 6, 2017.Once it receives presidential assent, the Bill will bring about significant changes in rules for honking in silence zones.Under Section 15 (1) of the said Act, it is contemplated that the...

IT Amendment Rules Making Aadhaar Mandatory For PAN Application From July-1, Notified [Read Notification]

The Income Tax Amendment Rules [Income –tax (17th Amendment) Rules, 2017] which makes quoting Aadhaar mandatory for PAN Application from July-1, has been notified.As per the amended sub-rule 5 of Rule 114, from 01.07.2017, for a PAN card application in 49A, the Aadhaar Number must be quoted. In case the Aadhaar number has not been allotted, then the Aadhaar enrolment number must...

Aadhaar Shouldn’t Be A Pre-requisite For Getting Food Articles From Ration Shops: Rajasthan HC [Read Order]

Rajasthan High Court has directed the authorities to ensure that all those who hold a Ration Card are issued the Rations as per the entitlement without insisting upon the holder of the Ration Card obtaining an Aadhaar Card.The Bench comprising Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice S.P. Sharma in its interim order dated 30th May observed, “The respondents are directed to ensure that...

Implementation Of TDS, TCS Provisions Under GST Act Deferred

The government has postponed the implementation of provisions relating to TDS (Section 51) and TCS ( Section 52) of the CGST / SGST Act 2017 .The Finance Ministry has informed that “with the objective of ensuring smooth rollout of GST and taking into account the feedback received from the trade and industry regarding the provisions of deduction of tax at Source under Section 51 of the CGST...

Gujarat HC Quashes Charges for Kidnapping of Minor Girl After Her Nikah with Alleged Kidnapper [Read Judgment]

The Gujarat High Court recently quashed an FIR against a 25 year old man for kidnapping a minor girl, after the two got married.The Court was hearing a Petition filed by one Afvan Afirbhai Januhasan, who had been accused by the 16 year old girl’s father, pursuant to which offences under Sections 363 (punishment for kidnapping) and 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel...

Punjab & Haryana HC Upholds Minimum Age Limit of 17 Years for NEET [Read Judgment]

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday upheld the minimum age criterion of 17 years prescribed for taking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS/BDS courses. Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain ruled that taking the test without fulfilling the age criteria would only amount to exhausting of a chance.The Court was hearing a Petition filed by a minor, Kuldeep...

Litigant Needs To Be Vigilant, Can’t Put Entire Blame On Advocate To Get Delay Condoned: Delhi HC [Read Judgment]

"The litigant owes a duty to be vigilant of his rights and is also expected to be equally vigilant about the judicial proceedings pending in the court of law against him or initiated at his instance"Delhi High Court recently rapped an Appellant-company for their lack of vigilance in conducting a suit for recovery of money, and their subsequent conduct in blaming the Counsel for the delay...

Banking Ombudsman Gets More Teeth: Mobile And Electronic Banking Brought Under Purview [Read The Amended Scheme]

The Reserve Bank of India has widened the scope of its Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006, to include, inter alia, deficiencies arising out of sale of insurance/ mutual fund/ other third party investment products by banks.Under the amended scheme, a customer would also be able to lodge a complaint against the bank for its non-adherence to RBI instructions with regard to mobile banking/...